


Umbrella

by astrodrag



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: College AU, F/F, Lesbian AU, karaoke fic, sorority au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrodrag/pseuds/astrodrag
Summary: Jackie's the new pledge in the sorority, and ends up befriending a drunken Jan in the bathroom during the sorority's annual karaoke night. Shenanigans ensue from there.
Relationships: Jackie Cox/Nicky Doll, Jan Sport/Jackie Cox, Jan Sport/Jackie Cox/Nicky Doll, Jan Sport/Nicky Doll
Comments: 12
Kudos: 33





	Umbrella

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to Frey and Barbie for pushing me to write this, to Dane for helping me brainstorm when I got stuck, and to Lily and Taty for encouraging me throughout the writing process! I love all of you, this fic wouldn't have happened without y'all pushing me forward<3  
> Also, this fic was originally written for Spring Fling Week over on @/writethehousedown on Tumblr!  
> 

Jackie could feel the nerves bubbling up inside of her. Never in her life had she expected herself to end up rushing, much less pledging to a sorority.

It had felt a bit off at first, the sisterhood idea almost sounding like a cult to Jackie. But she had heard several times from her older sister how much joining a sorority had improved her experience in college, so she figured she'd give it a try. If she didn't like it, nothing said she had to stay in the sorority forever. It's not like she was selling her soul or anything in order to join.

And besides, since she had pledged to the same sorority her sister had been in during college, it gave them something else to talk about, despite being polar opposites.

After going through her first chapter meeting as a new pledge, Jackie felt like she was starting to warm up to things. The president of the sorority, an amusing girl with a very motherly aura named Asia, had mentioned their annual group karaoke night, one of their events that had become tradition in order to welcome in the new pledges. 

Her nerves turned to excitement at the news. If there was one thing Jackie could get behind, it was karaoke. Her mind began whirling with possibilities, thoughts of doing a duet with her Big, or of meeting a group of sisters she could do a number with. Needless to say, Jackie was eager to make the most of karaoke night. 

* * *

Sitting at one of the tables in the bar, Jackie felt out of place. She could see girls chatting away happily in small, tight-knit groups, the other new pledges having already found their new best friends thanks to their Bigs. 

Jackie wished her Big, Shuga, had come, wished the older girl hadn't been sick and stuck in bed for the past several days. Without Shuga to show her the ropes, she felt like she didn't stand a chance within the sorority. She was mere moments away from leaving, her frustration at being alone bubbling up the longer she sat by herself.

But then she saw a single girl from her sorority practically bouncing up to the DJ in the corner, leaning in to tell him something before climbing up onto the stage. Jackie vaguely recognized her from the chapter meeting, remembering seeing her rush in just before the meeting began, still in her vibrant purple cheerleading uniform that matched her brightly-colored hair. The girl had sat a couple rows in front of Jackie, but they didn't speak to each other during or after the meeting.

Now, Jackie kind of wishes she had, if for no other reason than to talk her out of singing the first song in front of the group, and solo at that. She was worried for the girl, who seemed to be so cheerful and bright. Jackie didn't want this to go badly, didn't want to see her spirits get crushed.

Assuming the worst was about to happen, Jackie quickly made a beeline to the bar, telling herself she needed a drink or two to get through whatever karaoke night would entail. She found herself leaning against the bar while she waited for the bartender to pass her her drinks, fingertips idly tapping against the wooden surface. Her eyes were glued to the purple-haired girl on stage, who was practically buzzing with energy. 

She could see the girl's song choice load onto the monitor just left of the stage, and raised her eyebrow in curiosity. The title lit up the screen in bright white letters, contrasting against the pink background, the words waving just enough to draw your eye to them.

_ Don’t Start Now - Dua Lipa _ .

Jackie found herself incredibly intrigued, curious to see how it would go. Though she wasn’t super familiar with the song, she knew Dua Lipa had a range that was difficult to emulate at times. Once the bartender passed her the two drinks she had ordered, she carefully navigated her way back to her table, her eyes still trained on the stage. 

She heard the opening notes of the song start to ring out through the room as she sat down once more, an amused smile spreading across her face as the girl on stage struck a pose. One hand on her hip, the other sticking straight up, the girl shot a bright grin out towards the audience, waiting until the opening lyrics appeared on the monitor to step forward and grab the microphone in one swift movement.

From the moment the girl started singing, Jackie was floored. The power her voice held in combination with the overwhelming confidence she exuded on stage was almost intoxicating to watch, and clearly Jackie wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The murmurs around the room from people talking amongst themselves disappeared, eyes trained on the purple-haired girl as she bounced around on stage, doing a rather impressive job with the song. 

Sure, a couple notes here and there were pitchy, but they were hardly noticeable due to the sheer charisma the girl seemed to ooze. By the end of the song, Jackie was eager to find out exactly who the hell this girl was, making a mental note to approach the girl next time she saw her on campus.

* * *

A few drinks and several less-than-stellar karaoke performances later, Jackie found herself weaving through the crowded bar to get to the bathroom. She needed a moment away from the chaos going on in the bar, but didn’t dare try to step outside, not wanting to get drowned in the torrential downpour occuring outside. More than anything else, she regretted not bringing an umbrella with her, but figured she would deal with the aftermath of that later, once she was finally ready to go home for the night.

Pushing through the door into the bathroom, Jackie was surprised to nearly run into the purple-haired girl in the doorway. The girl stumbled backward, and Jackie instinctively stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders to help steady her, the girl looking so intoxicated Jackie was worried she might fall over. The girl, however, seemed to completely misread the situation, instead letting out a surprised chirp before throwing her arms around Jackie in a hug. Jackie froze in place, but the girl didn’t seem to notice, giving her a tight squeeze before pulling back and flashing Jackie a bright grin a moment later.

“Hi! You’re really pretty and you give good hugs!” The girl giggled, her hands immediately reaching to grab Jackie’s. She seemed to have forgotten she was exiting the bathroom, pulling Jackie along behind her as she made a beeline for the far wall. Her shoulder hit the wall with a dull thud as she leaned against it, another bout of giggles slipping from her lips.

Maybe it was the alcohol finally hitting her, or maybe it was the infectiously cheery energy radiating from the other girl, but Jackie couldn’t stop herself from letting out a giggle of her own. This caused the girl to clap her hands together excitedly, then throw her arms around Jackie once more, her face nuzzling into Jackie’s shoulder.

“ _ And  _ your hair smells really good! You’re pretty, give good hugs, and your hair smells good!  _ Fuck,  _ how are you so fucking perfect?  _ Please  _ tell me you’re gay and single so I can marry you!” The girl rambled, the words making Jackie’s cheeks heat up as she let out another laugh.

“You’re sweet,” Jackie started, the girl looking up at her with a delighted beam. “But I can’t marry you because I don’t even know your name.”

“ _ Shit! _ ” The girl exclaimed, letting go of Jackie to cover her mouth with her hands in shock. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I’m Jan! Fuck, please don’t hate me, you’re just really pretty and I-”

Jackie could see the girl’s expression changing, her eyes widening in fear, hands shaking slightly as she took a step back. Oh no, was she tearing up too? Damn it, Jackie had really done it now.

“Hey, shh, it’s alright,” she reassured Jan, pulling her into their third hug in a matter of minutes. “I don’t hate you, promise. And you’re really pretty too! I love the purple hair.”

“You do?” Jan sniffled, her eyes lighting up as Jackie nodded her head. “Can we at least be friends then? You’re really nice.”

“Of course we can.” Jackie nodded her head again, relief spreading through her body as the girl wiped at her eyes, erasing any signs that she had almost broken down crying in a bathroom.

“Good! Since we’re friends, let me braid your hair! It looks really soft and I think you’d look even prettier with your hair braided!”

* * *

Jackie quickly lost track of time hanging out in the bathroom with Jan, the pair of them chatting away in between fits of hysterical laughter as Jan did her best to braid Jackie’s hair, despite how much she was struggling to do so in her drunken state. However, she figures they must have been in there a while, since eventually a girl with wavy red hair poked her head into the bathroom, calling out Jan’s name. 

Jan muttered a curse under her breath, haphazardly raking her fingers through Jackie’s hair to undo the half-finished braid. She hopped down from her spot sitting on the counter and immediately grabbed Jackie’s hand, pulling her toward the exit. They stopped in front of the redhead, just long enough for Jan to grab her hand as well and squeal out an excited introduction.

“Jackie, this is Nicky! Nicky, Jackie!” Jan rambled excitedly, swinging the hands of both of the other girls. “Jackie, you should do a number with us! Can you sing? Let’s sing something together!”

Jackie barely had time to nod her head in agreement before Jan was pulling her and Nicky out of the bathroom, right up to the DJ to pick their song. Jackie couldn’t help but laugh, Jan’s never-ending enthusiasm and child-like glee much more charming than she ever anticipated.

Huddled around a book of song options, Jackie felt Jan and Nicky’s shoulders pressing against her own from either side of her, the two girls flipping through pages and pointing out ideas to each other. Part of Jackie wondered how exactly she ended up in this situation, but she tried to push those thoughts aside. These girls were talking to her, actively trying to befriend her. The  _ least _ she could do was sing a karaoke number with them. 

Eyes darting down to the book, she paused the moment she saw the song at the top of the page.

“Hold on!” She exclaimed, her hand stopping Nicky’s just before she had the chance to flip the page again. “ _ That one! _ ”

The other two girls looked where she was pointing and nodded their heads, Jan bouncing up and down as Nicky clapped her hands excitedly. Before she could say another word, Nicky was writing their names down on the performance list, and then they were heading back to a table to await their turn.

* * *

“Cheerleading  _ and  _ you’re a triathlete? How the hell do you have time for all of that?” Jackie asked, shaking her head in disbelief as Jan leaned her head down against the table while she laughed.

“Exactly! Now you see why we all call her Jan Sport!” Nicky exclaimed as she gave Jan’s shoulder a playful push.

“Jan Sport? She should be Jan Sports plural, girl does so many things!” Jackie riffed back, earning her a screech of approval from Nicky.

“Oh my god, yes! We’re starting a petition to change her nickname, you have to sign it right now!”

“Nicky, that’s not how nicknames work!” Jan cried out in between fits of laughter.

* * *

By the time it was finally their turn to sing their number, Jackie was beyond excited. She felt like she was mirroring Jan’s energy at that point, her whole body buzzing as she made her way up to the stage with her new friends. She felt Nicky and Jan slip their hands into hers, the girls flanking her on either side, and she intertwined their fingers gratefully.

Assuming their pre-planned positions on stage, Jackie let go of her friends’ hands, only for Jan to quickly tap her shoulder and mouth at her to pose. Holding back a laughter, Jackie mimicked the purple-haired girl’s pose from her first number that night, which did not go unnoticed by Jan. She rolled her eyes with a fond smile on her face, instead squatting down slightly and cupping her own face with her hands. 

Nicky, on the other hand, had gone for jazz hands, which almost sent Jackie reeling into uncontrollable laughter. She and Jan were going to have to teach Nicky some better poses, but that could be done later.

The opening piano keys began to play, and Jackie counted the measures in her head until she was meant to start singing. 

She heard Nicky beside her let out a soft gasp once she had started singing, making her stomach flip excitedly. A few lines later and she was joined by both Jan and Nicky, the three girls quickly falling into a rhythm as they belted out the words to  _ Mamma Mia  _ together.

If this was the kind of sisterhood her sister had harped on about for years, then Jackie was grateful she finally decided to pledge.

* * *

The thrill Jackie felt walking off stage with her friends was unlike anything else she had ever felt. She felt high, dizzy in the best way possible, like she was soaring far above everyone else. And sure, maybe part of that was because she was almost as drunk as Jan by that time, but that was beside the point.

She felt Nicky drape an arm over her shoulders as Jan wrapped both arms around her waist, leaning into her side. Jackie let out a squeal, grabbing one of Nicky’s hands to squeeze excitedly.

“We  _ killed  _ it!” Jackie called out happily, resting her head momentarily on top of Nicky’s shoulder, Jan pressing an excited kiss to Jackie’s cheek.

“Hell yeah we did!” Jan echoed as Nicky nodded her head in agreement. 

The three of them stumbled toward the door together, having agreed on leaving after they finished their number together. But the moment they got to the entryway, Jackie let out a dramatic sigh at seeing that it was still raining. 

“What’s wrong?” Nicky’s voice became concerned, her eyebrows knitting together as she stopped in front of Jackie.

“I didn’t bring an umbrella, I’m gonna drown out there,” Jackie whined. She let her head fall back dramatically, mentally cursing herself for the second time that night over not bringing an umbrella.

“You can share with me and Nicky!” Jan offered, quickly digging through her purse to pull her compacted umbrella out. “We were gonna crash at my place anyway, it’s just a couple blocks away if you wanna crash there too.”

Jackie felt herself break out in a grin, her heart fluttering in her chest with affection for her new friends. She agreed immediately, and the three of them set off for Jan’s apartment.

And maybe the umbrella was too small for three people, leaving them all half soaked by the time they made it through Jan’s front door. But that didn’t matter, because within minutes they had each changed into baggy t-shirts and were cuddled up together in Jan’s bed, already drifting off to sleep.


End file.
